Last-Minute Meal

At WomansDay.com we ask mostly everyone we interview, from moms to celebrities, what their "Last-Minute Meal" is—the one you make when you have no time to cook and don't feel like thinking. This is mine.

Ever since I started shopping for myself, it seems like my refrigerator and cabinets always contain the following items: hummus, lettuce, carrots, a red onion, canned beans and corn, English muffins, eggs, tomato sauce, extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, cheese, salsa and Boca Burgers. (If any of you don't know what a Boca Burger is, or if you missed the rage they spurred a few years back, I suppose the easiest way to describe them is this: frozen meatless burgers that taste like meat, sort of. I'm not a vegetarian, but they're easy to store, quick to cook and fairly healthy.)

With that said, for my "Last-Minute Meal," I usually prepare some variation of the ingredients I mentioned: a green salad with corn, beans, perhaps some carrots, red onion and cheese; a bean and corn salad, with a bit of hummus; egg and cheese on an English muffin with salsa and hummus, etc. But the one I run to most often in my time of need is the Boca Burger.

Because I don't have a microwave or toaster—which I believe I subconsciously keep this way to force myself to use the stove—this is what the process consists of: Toast the muffin in the oven, cook the burger in a skillet, melt the cheese on the burger, spoon on some hummus and salsa (beans and corn if I'm lucky to have not already used them all in the salad), and that's it. It's easy, it's Mexican-themed, it feels like a real, substantial meal and it's guilt-free.

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Woman's Day participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.